Kim's Cooking: Grilled lettuce adds unique texture to this salad

With so many different kinds of salads today, it's hard to have one favorite.

I'm not sure if it's just me, but when I go to a restaurant, I always find myself ordering Caesar salad.

While Caesar recipes can vary, this one stays true to my taste buds.

Why? It's because of the unique way it's prepared.

It's grilled!

The crisp romaine heads are cut in half, and quickly grilled, adding layers flavor and texture.

This one will captivate your taste buds and not put a dent in your wallet.

I love to prepare this salad for friends, because it's super easy and very versatile. I love to add grilled shrimp and chicken to my salad.

Let's get started. First, we will need to prepare our croutons. This recipe is very versatile. You can also grill shrimp or chicken, adding this to your salad.

I will leave my readers with a few salad tips. To crisp the greens, be sure to soak them in a large bowl of water, shake any excess water, wrap the greens in a paper towel, and place them is a storage bag for a day in your refrigerator. The greens will stay crisp for a few days. Let yourself be creative with this recipe.

I always say a chef is like an artist, you're expressing your creative side through the creativity you place in your food.

Blessings, until next week.

CROUTONS:

2 cups cubed sourdough bread (about 1/2-inch cubes),

2 1/2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil (to add a bit of flare, you can use flavored olive oil. I like to use garlic olive oil.)

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, position rack in the center of the oven. Place the cubes in a medium sized bowl, toss with olive oil, garlic salt and pepper. Arrange on a single layer baking sheet, cook until crisp, about 10-14 minutes. Remove from heat. Set aside to cool.

2 romaine hearts (you can also use heads, just be sure they are crisp)

3 ounces Parmesan cheese, shaved

9 whole anchovies

Preheat the grill to medium-high. Clean the grates with a stiff brush, then oil the grates to prevent sticking. (If you're going to grill indoors, preheat a grill pan to med-high and be sure to oil the grill pan)

Blot the lettuce thoroughly with a paper towel to ensure it's completely dry. Brush the cut side of each romaine half with olive oil and season with a dash of salt and pepper. Place the romaine, cut-side down, onto the grill. Cook until the cut side of the romaine is lightly charred.

Remove the romaine from the grill, place cooked-side up, on an oblong serving plate: drizzle Caesar dressing over the top and garnish with a black pepper and shaved Parmesan, croutons and anchovies. Then serve.

This recipe is very versatile. You can also grill shrimp or chicken, adding this to your salad.

I will leave my readers with a few salad tips. To crisp the greens, be sure to soak them in a large bowl of water, shake any excess water, wrap the greens in a paper towel, and place them is a storage bag for a day in your refrigerator. The greens will stay crisp for a few days. Let yourself be creative with this recipe.

I always say a chef is like an artist, you're expressing your creative side through the creativity you place in your food.

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